Tech Mahindra and Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Künstliche Intelligenz GmbH (DFKI), German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence, today announced a collaboration to co-innovate and co-create next-generation smart factory solutions. Together, they will develop scalable, secure, and practical AI solutions that redefine digital transformation for manufacturing enterprises in Germany.
The collaboration will bring together Tech Mahindra’s applied innovation and industry expertise with DFKI’s world-class research capabilities to accelerate the development of responsible, and human-centric AI solutions for the manufacturing sector. The organizations will jointly explore research and development opportunities in areas including Generative AI, robotics, human-machine interaction, digital twins, semantic data models, sustainable and autonomous production systems, and agentic AI. The collaboration will also focus on skill-based manufacturing and distributed, networked ecosystems, laying the foundation for the factories of the future.
Harshul Asnani, President and Head – Europe Business, Tech Mahindra, said, “As manufacturing enters an era where AI and robotics will define competitiveness, our collaboration with DFKI exemplifies our commitment to building the next generation of adaptive, AI-powered manufacturing ecosystems. Together, we aim to bridge the gap between research and real-world impact, enabling customers to unlock intelligence across their value chains while ensuring every innovation remains ethical, sustainable, and human-centred.”
As part of this collaboration, Tech Mahindra will expand its research and development activities in Germany, increase contributions to its European manufacturing customers, and gain access to additional client networks. DFKI will work on integrating its AI technologies into Tech Mahindra’s Manufacturing Experience Center and customer projects, supporting the application of research in industrial settings.
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Ruskowski, Head of the Research Department Innovative Factory Systems, DFKI, said, “The important cooperation between DFKI and Tech Mahindra enables production to be raised to a new level of value addition through agentic AI. Next-generation robots will become more efficient through smart software and will be able to work ever more closely with their human colleagues.”
The collaboration reflects both organizations’ shared vision to advance smart, sustainable, and adaptive manufacturing, empowering industries to move from automation to intelligence. It focuses on R&D-driven innovation and will create long-term value by fostering the next generation of AI-led manufacturing capabilities.
